Sri Ganganagar: History, Geography, Places

Location, Area & Administration:

Sri Ganganagar District is the norther most district of Rajasthan, located between Latitude 28.4 to 30.6 and Longitude 72.2 to 75.3. It is surrounded on the east by Hanumangarh District, (Hanumangarh district was carved out of it on July 12, 1994) on the south by Bikaner District, and on the west by Bahawalnagar district of the Pakistani Punjab and on the north by the Punjab.

History of Sri Ganganagar:

In the ancient times, two rivers hallowed in Vedic hymns viz. Saraswati (modern Ghaggar or Hakra) and Drishadvati, flowed through this territory. Excavations undertaken at Kalibanga and Rangmahal etc. situated on the bank of the dry-beds of these rivers have proved that the Indus valley civilization had extended upto this place and it was inhabited by the people akin to those who had flourished at Mohenjodaro and Harappa. The rivers, however, dried up in course of time and as a result of this natural calamity the region became inhospitable and desolate.

The medieval history of Sriganganagar is common with the history of Bikaner.Rao Bika, the son of Rao Jodha who was the founder of Jodhpur, established Bikaner in 1488. The territory of modern Sriganganagar district has been a part of the princely state of Bikaner. Along with the other parts of Bikaner state, the area under the Nizamat of Sriganganagar went into the making of the state of Rajasthan.

Historical Places of Sri Ganganagar:

Anoopgarh Fort

Anoopgarh Fort is a ruin in the city of Anoopgarh. It was built by Anoop Singh Rathore.

Laila Majnu Tomb

The tomb (mazar) of Laila-Majnu at Binjaur village is situated near Anoopgarh city 11 km away from Anoopgarh on the western side. Many people associate this Mazar (mausoleum) with fictional and legendary lovers Laila and Majnu. According to the traditional belief Laila-Majnun were from Sindh and came to this place escaping from the clutches of Laila’s parents and her brother who were against the love of Laila-Majnun. Laila and Majnu died here and were buried together at this place. Thus this place became a symbol of love and people come here to seek blessings from Laila and Majnu. A fair is held here in June which is attended by hundreds of newlyweds and lovers.

Bror Village

The ruins of the Indus Valley Civilisation are found here. It is located on Anoopgarh-Ramsinghpur road.

Gurudwara Budhha Johad Sahib

The historical Gurudwara of Buddha Johad, the great religious shrine of the Sikhs, is situated 75 kms away to the south-west of Sriganganagar. This is a place where Bhai Sukha Singh and Mehtab Singh brought the head of Massa Rangarh (guilty of sacrilege of the Amritsar Golden Temple) and hung it on a tree on August 11, 1740. This huge Gurudwara has 22 pillars at every floor.

Geography of Sri Ganganagar

Sriganganagar district is a plain region of the vast Thar desert land. It has sandy soil in the west dotted with 4-5 metre high sand dunes. The northern part of the district is mostly covered with forest. The average height of the district from the sea level is 168 to 227 metres.

There remains much climatic variation in Sriganganagar district throughout the year. It is an arid region with very low rainfall. The winter season extends from November to March, the summer season from April to June, rainy season from July to mid-September, and post-monsoon season from mid-September to October.

The average annual rainfall of the district is 20.70 cm. The maximum temperature in summer is 48.4°C and the minimum temperature in winter is 0.6°C. As a result there are scorching heat waves in summer and biting cold waves in winter in the whole district.